When construction of the REMY condominium got underway in June 2010, it was a groundbreaking project due to the fact that it was the first of its kind to be built in British Columbia under the pro­vince’s new rule allowing six-storey wood-frame buildings. Located in the city of Richmond, the project was going smoothly until May 2011, when a fire engulfed the structure and burned for five hours before firefighters were able to contain the flames. From that point forward, the REMY became British Columbia’s first six-storey condominium structure that was completely rebuilt after being de­stroy­ed by a fire.

Throughout Canada, the parking garages of high-rise structures are built below grade. However, for the Quintet Development in the City Centre of Richmond, British Columbia, the high water table necessitated construction of the three-storey parking garage above ground. But it still is not visible from the outside, because the five buildings in the development are clustered around it.

Scheduled to begin construction in April 2011, the first phase of the mixed use Quintet Development near the Vancouver International Airport will be two buildings and the parking garage. Three more buildings that are planned for later construction would bring the total square footage of all five buildings to 762,000 square feet.

Rubin and Rotman Associates have designed a great variety of structures for all types of functions and clients. Currently, the architectural firm has two different multifamily residential projects under construction. One is the rehabilitation of a 120-year-old, four-storey solid masonry industrial building in a historic section of downtown Montreal that is being converted to high-end residential lofts and condominiums. The other is a suburban project consisting of three condominium buildings being constructed around a park that is above an underground municipal pumping station.

Designing buildable, mixed-use urban developments that take advantage of public transportation, urban intensification and design innovation is the specialty of Kirkor Architects and Planners. The company has designed many such developments in the Greater Toronto Area and currently is working on a number of major projects in the town of Markham, Ontario, that will increase density.

CORE Architects has designed just about every type of multi-use residential development imaginable throughout the greater Toronto area. The firm had to call on all of that experience to design a state-of-the-art development in downtown Toronto that melded warehouse chic with commercial office space in a dense urban location open to the public.